Mint Storage and Preservation

[Kohai]

Done a search but I can't find this except in more kitchen-related applications.

Does anyone have any suggestions for how to store mint for higher-volume service environments? I've tried keeping it in shakers with/without ice, in ice baths, etc., but nothing seems quite as good as just keeping it sealed in the fridge. We get hit pretty hard sometimes, and I'd like to be able to keep it somewhere convenient within reach - preferably on the bartop.

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

[Peter the eater]

Salted herbs are a great way to get rustic all winter long, but now I see you're talking bar service, so maybe that won't help. Or will it?

[heidih]

What form is your mint in?- leaves already picked from stems, in bunches, or?

[roosterchef21]

I think picked herbs should be picked as fresh as possible i.e pick what you need for the day and that's it. You can keep bunches wrapped in damp cloth though.

[evo-lution]

What many people forget when it comes to herbs/etc. is that they're dealing with a living thing which is at its best when alive (fresh in other words), so that's the key...

I spent a bit of time working out the best way to store mint and have found a lot of success with the following methods;

A great way to wash and bring mint leaves (specifically packaged) back to life is to shock them in an ice bath for a minute or two before picking/stemming.

Pick the older leaves (from the base of the sprig) and put them into a sandwich bag and keep them in/on an ice bath in a shaker/glass. As long as you change the ice regularly this'll keep well on your bar counter or next to your ice well. For slower service, store them in a container which has a damp napkin at the base as well as covering the leaves (alternatively wrap them in a damp cloth if it won't slow service too much).

For mint garnishes, use the younger/fresher leaves at the top of the stems (these have a brighter floral aroma ideal for garnishes), trim the stems so they're about two/three inches long (with around 4-8 leaves on top), bunch them together to make a little mint bouquet and place them in a glass with a little water at the bottom covering the lower part of the stem, similar to the way you'd keep flowers. Change the water regularly.

Edited December 8, 2009 by evo-lution (log)

[Kohai]

Thanks for the tips, everyone. I've been experimenting with using mint unpicked, on-stem, in deference to the Alchemist's suggestion that there is as much or more flavor in the stems themselves. Accordingly, I've tried keeping whole sprigs of mint, generally in shakers full of water with or without ice. Looks like a little mint tree - we've named it Mustafa. But it seems hard to stop Mustafa from wilting within a few hours.

It's not mojito season right now (goddam foofy mojito drinks!) so we don't use as much as we do in the summer. I've just bunged them in a deli with a few damp cocktail napkins at the bottom and keep that closed in the fridge. I'll have to find a better solution in the summer so we don't have to run to the fridge and unpack a few sprigs every five seconds.

[evo-lution]

I'll have to find a better solution in the summer so we don't have to run to the fridge and unpack a few sprigs every five seconds.

See my post. So long as you regularly change the water for the sprigs (every couple of hours) and keep the leaves chilled/damp you'll have no problems (shaker half filled with ice, sandwich bag pushed into it the way you put a black bag in a bin, elastic round the tin to keep in place, fill with leaves).

Regarding stems, I find they have a slightly bitter flavour as well as the mint flavour so would advise against using them pressed within the drink.